Thursday, October 13, 2011

Today on The Dan Patrick Show, MLB Network analyst Al Leiter came on to discuss the controversy surrounding an explosive article about the Red Sox’ late-season collapse.

Leiter, who pitched for the New York Mets from 1998-2004, was asked if this supposedly toxic environment in Boston’s locker room was really that bad in the grand scheme of things.

Don’t all baseball teams do things like this? Weren’t there distractions in the Mets’ clubhouse? Specifically: wasn’t there a “porn room” in Shea Stadium?

It very well could be one of those mythologized things, like the Holy Grail or your friend’s dad’s collection of Playboys, that is widely rumored but never confirmed. Thus, Leiter could’ve easily dismissed it as a rumor. We would’ve believed him, and everyone would’ve gone on with their day thinking there was no such thing as the Shea Stadium porn room.

Except… Leiter seemed to be caught off guard by the question. He fumbled for an answer. He laughed uncomfortably. He talked about “political correctness” and how things were “different” once upon a time, and how the old ballparks had “nooks and crannies” where guys would… sleep. As he tried to explain away the non-existent porn room, the porn room seemed to exist more and more. In short: it sounds like ol’ Shea Stadium had a porn room.